gardening in a HOT zone

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:33 pm

i lived in Mass. for many years, and had a magnificent garden. acres. grew fruits, veggies, herbs, you name it i grew it! i was devoted to the garden. never missed "victory garden" on PBS. had lots of books and recipes. so then i move to florida and tried to recreate it...worked hard, spent a lot of money. i couldn't do it. the heat, the snakes, the fire ants, scorpions, the lousy soil...it was a useless situation. :-1 i miss it terribly...the satisfaction and the sharing and the work. anyone here succeed in the deep south? i know we have farms here that do well, i just don't know how they do it.

devist8me · Post by **devist8me** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 7:57 pm

I don't know what to tell you about the gardens and such but have you considered potted plants. I didn't have the time or energy to put out gardens this year, but did buy several large pots and grew several types of flowers and leafy type plants. Actually, I have some pics I'll get loaded and share.

Most likely, somebody else will have answers for you, this just popped in my head when I read your post.

nvalleyvee · Post by **nvalleyvee** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 8:17 pm

lady cop wrote: i lived in Mass. for many years, and had a magnificent garden. acres. grew fruits, veggies, herbs, you name it i grew it! i was devoted to the garden. never missed "victory garden" on PBS. had lots of books and recipes. so then i move to florida and tried to recreate it...worked hard, spent a lot of money. i couldn't do it. the heat, the snakes, the fire ants, scorpions, the lousy soil...it was a useless situation. :-1 i miss it terribly...the satisfaction and the sharing and the work. anyone here succeed in the deep south? i know we have farms here that do well, i just don't know how they do it.

I live in NM and it is hard to keep the garden going. I have to water every 2 days. As an environmental person it is the only thing I spend water on. There are many things I cannot grow here. I love to can food for the winter so I just plug on............

robinseggs · Post by **robinseggs** » Tue Sep 06, 2005 9:09 pm

Awww, thats a bummer LC!! I too love gardening and although not the same, I do think that working with potted plants can be fun......this summer I had strawberries and tomatoes right on my deck....the kids loved it! I also love cacti...now that is something that should do well in Florida...maybe???

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:43 am

lady cop wrote: i lived in Mass. for many years, and had a magnificent garden. acres. grew fruits, veggies, herbs, you name it i grew it! i was devoted to the garden. never missed "victory garden" on PBS. had lots of books and recipes. so then i move to florida and tried to recreate it...worked hard, spent a lot of money. i couldn't do it. the heat, the snakes, the fire ants, scorpions, the lousy soil...it was a useless situation. :-1 i miss it terribly...the satisfaction and the sharing and the work. anyone here succeed in the deep south? i know we have farms here that do well, i just don't know how they do it.

Hi LC...I have no idea about your climate except that it's HOT and SUNNY. It sounds as if it would cost loads of money to improve the soil. ...and the creepy crawlies...ugh..

maybe it would be an idea to look around and see what plants grow in neighbours gardens and in the wild....work with nature not against it...cactus ? Could you put in a pond or water feature...the sound of a fountain would be soothing. I couldn't dig a hole so I got Patio pond like this one ........>>>>>

I have 8 goldfish...the up-keep is easy....wonder if it might need some shade if the sun is hot....don't want cooked fish...you could just fill with plants.

Have you got any public gardens to visit for inspriation ?

I'll keep thinking....don't get despondent...there's bound to be a solution. Herbs and Tomatoes etc will definitely grow in big pots...the pots can be pricey but it might be worth it....take little steps at a time. Sometimes you look out and the size of the task is daunting....you'll do it...work in the evening when it;s not so hot....DON'T make yourself ill. Gardening is exhausting work. xxxx

pantsonfire321@aol.com · Wed Sep 07, 2005 2:23 am

Toms and strawberrys i grew this year on my window sill. just make sure they are well watered .

Accountable · Post by **Accountable** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:34 am

Hey pessimist, take a walk in the woods and look around. There's house plants you would spend a fortune on up north free for the taking. Ferns galore, elephant ears, water lilies. Sure, it's more green and fewer blooms, but you can grow them outside without having to spritz them daily.

I agree with Bez about the water garden. You can build a self-sustaining ecosytem with plants and fish. Add a pump for a burbly little fountain and voila! Heaven is yours. :-6

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 8:17 am

Accountable wrote: Hey pessimist, take a walk in the woods and look around. There's house plants you would spend a fortune on up north free for the taking. Ferns galore, elephant ears, water lilies. Sure, it's more green and fewer blooms, but you can grow them outside without having to spritz them daily.

I agree with Bez about the water garden. You can build a self-sustaining ecosytem with plants and fish. Add a pump for a burbly little fountain and voila! Heaven is yours. :-6

And Heaven it will be.....get Bothwell to do some digging while he's there LC....can't have him lazing around ALL the time...

;)

lady cop · Post by **lady cop** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:02 am

thanks for all the tips! and Bez the water garden looks so relaxing and lovely! i guess pots are the answer, in the intense heat :-6 they must be watered more than once a day. as for what my neighbors grow, from what i observe, mostly marijauna.

....and no Bez, i will not have Both digging holes! LOL heck, from the looks of things we have tropical storm/hurricane ophelia heading right for us and i only hope his plane can land and we don't lose power and have to leave. 15 inches of rain expected.

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 10:09 am

lady cop wrote: thanks for all the tips! and Bez the water garden looks so relaxing and lovely! i guess pots are the answer, in the intense heat :-6 they must be watered more than once a day. as for what my neighbors grow, from what i observe, mostly marijauna.

....and no Bez, i will not have Both digging holes! LOL heck, from the looks of things we have tropical storm/hurricane ophelia heading right for us and i only hope his plane can land and we don't lose power and have to leave. 15 inches of rain expected.

Bloody weather....I hope it's not as bad as forecast...

cars · Post by **cars** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:11 pm

lady cop wrote: i lived in Mass. for many years, and had a magnificent garden. acres. grew fruits, veggies, herbs, you name it i grew it! i was devoted to the garden. never missed "victory garden" on PBS. had lots of books and recipes. so then i move to florida and tried to recreate it...worked hard, spent a lot of money. i couldn't do it. the heat, the snakes, the fire ants, scorpions, the lousy soil...it was a useless situation. :-1 i miss it terribly...the satisfaction and the sharing and the work. anyone here succeed in the deep south? i know we have farms here that do well, i just don't know how they do it.

Hey LC, when I was in FL earlier in the year, one of the "locals" there told me that "Snakes" (Oh how I hate them) aerated the soil, similar to as "worms" do up here in the North. But I suspect that he might have been pulling my leg! :wah:

(Veggies & plants in big POTs, that's the way to go, & what we do here in our "rocky" New England soil. Soil that you can't dig a 1 foot dia. hole by 1 foot deep, without hitting a dozen rocks!) I always joke when I'm digging a hole, "we grow rocks"!!!

robinseggs · Post by **robinseggs** » Wed Sep 07, 2005 7:17 pm

Oh Bez!! I do LOVE your patio pond!! I must have one of those next spring. Here is St. Louis we are heading into the "dormant" months....soon the leaves will all be falling and the weather will turn cool. LC I remember walking on Captiva Island once and getting lost only to realize we were off the path and walking on an alligator trail!! Well anyhow, there were beautiful cactuses all over...don't know if you like cacti, but I happen to be a fan!!

G-man · Post by **G-man** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 2:45 am

Originally Posted by lady cop

i lived in Mass. for many years, and had a magnificent garden. acres. grew fruits, veggies, herbs, you name it i grew it! i was devoted to the garden. never missed "victory garden" on PBS. had lots of books and recipes. so then i move to florida and tried to recreate it...worked hard, spent a lot of money. i couldn't do it. the heat, the snakes, the fire ants, scorpions, the lousy soil...it was a useless situation. i miss it terribly...the satisfaction and the sharing and the work. anyone here succeed in the deep south? i know we have farms here that do well, i just don't know how they do it.

The things I would grow in my gardens if I only lived further south... actually, here outside of DC in Virginia (that's hardiness zone 7) I've got plants growing outside that grow down where you are currently. I can't imagine why there would be an issue growing a garden ...other than that you're attempting to grow what you were familiar with up in Massachusettes? I've got just about everything up here... and I keep on adding themed gardens; so far there's a tropical pond garden, Japanese garden, desert southwest garden, meadow gardens, shade gardens, an herb garden in the shape of a cross, vegetable garden, wildflower garden... and they all are flourishing unbelievably well, despite the varying conditions these plants require in the same relatively small area.

I've only been doing this really for the past several years... and I've been living... actually, I've got several places between here and Chicago so I came from a similar climate as you did... and some things I could grow in Chicago will not grow here... even with keeping up with all the micro climates throughout my property, maintaining the precise ph balance of the soil, water requirements, sunlight... I'm a quick learner though, and I do have a conservatory and another greenhouse that I don't have out in Chicago (where I need it really!), this past year I got into creating F1 hybrids though and I'm working on creating hardier varieties of tropicals primarily... (I've got bananas (actual banana plants and not those basjoo plants that everyone's trying to grow up north), pineapples, palm trees, passionfruit vines, you name it... it is certainly possible to grow outside of your hardiness zone. I've got hundreds of varieties of plants growing here and I keep adding more... I'm ordering from a Logee's catalogue this very moment, in fact, for my conservatory! :wah: It's become my latest obsession apparently... among many... but, anyway I fear this is becoming circumlocution... :rolleyes:

I believe you'll just have to do a bit of reasearch and even ask your local nurseries down there what does well around there... see what your neighbors are growing successfully... that sort of thing. What type of garden were you wanting to grow btw... vegetables, flowers...? I actually have found that some plants actually grow too well and have become quite invasive... some of those plants I removed and others I just moved to an area where the conditions were less than ideal. I'm certain much of what you do will be more trial and error... and if pests become an issue (I'm organic, personally... I don't use anything unnatural to control pests...) but, I can combine what are called "companion" plants that support one another in some manner... there are so many variables really ...and I'll end up writing an even longer novel than this one already is if I go into too much detail... :wah: but, feel free to ask me anything if you'd like, as well. I'm still quite an amateur but... I'm learning... Hopefully, I'll open up my own nursery next Summer... that's one of my goals for the upcoming year. It's nice to get paid for what you enjoy doing... even if it is but just one of many hobbies...

Oh, and btw... it's true about the snakes! I don't have a problem with them here so much as I have moles... too much aeration can be a problem!

clavin · Post by **clavin** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 9:40 am

Take a look at this free report about Gardening:

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